Eared Seals in GURPS

Eared seals have small external ears and are covered in fur. They have the ability to turn their hind flippers forward so they can scoot around on all fours. Eared seals primarily swim by using their front flippers as wings, essentially flying through the water. They are agile and graceful underwater, although somewhat clumsy on land. These seals are known to hold their breath for up to 10 minutes and can dive to about 200 meters. They are not usually found far from land, and forage in rich upwelling zones near their nurseries.

In the breeding season, they gather in rookeries. The males carve out territories which they announce with loud barking calls and defend with fangs and body blows from other males. When the females come ashore the males gather them into their harems with the females choosing their males. Females initially stay withtheir newborn pups for a week or two until hunger forces them back out to sea. Females may leave their pups on shore for several days while they forage for fish, then return to nurse and fatten up her offspring. Outside of the breeding season, eared seals may stay at sea for weeks at a time.

There are two main groups of eared seals - fur seals and sea lions. As you might guess, fur seals are somewhat hairier than sea lions.

• The California sea lion Zalophus californianus is found on the pacific coast of North America. It is a favorite in circuses and aquaria for its trainability. A very similar species is found in the Galapagos islands.
• The Steller sea lion Eumetopias jubatus can be found in the waters of the North pacific, from Japan, Korea, and California to the Bering Sea. Its rookeries are mainly along the Kamchatka peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, and the Canadian coast.
• The Australian sea lion Neophoca cinerea is from Australia's southern shores.
• The New Zealand sea lion Phocarctos hookeri is native to New Zealand. It is extremely endangered in modern times.
• The South American sea lion Otaria flavescens is found along the Pacific and southern Atlantic coasts of South America.
• The northern fur seal Callorhinus ursinus is found in the north Pacific from Korea, Japan and California to the Bering Sea.
• The Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella is found in the seas off Antarctica.
• The Brown fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus is from the southern oce ans off the Cape of Good Hope to Naminia in Africa and Bass Strait in Australia. It is the largest of the fur seals.
• The Galapagos fur seal Arctocephalus galapagoensis is the smalles fur seal. It is found off the Galapagos islands.
• The Guadalipe fur seal Arctocephalus townsendi was once found alon g North America's Pacific coast from California to Mexico. It is now restricted to a few small islands off Baja.
• The South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis lives along th e southern coasts of South America and its offshore waters.
• Subantarctic fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis are found in the A tlantic and Indian Oceans.

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